Hot Second Half Leads Huskers Past Norfolk State

Lincoln ? Behind a strong defensive effort and stellar bench play, Nebraska overcame a slow start to cruise to an 83-48 victory over the visiting Norfolk State Spartans Tuesday night at the DevaneyCenter.

 

The 35-point win was the largest under second-year coach Doc Sadler and it appeared unlikely with the game tied 25-25 late in the first half. The tie ignited the Huskers, however, as a 14-2 Nebraska run over the final 3:13 of the first half and the opening 3:16 of the second half turned a tie game into a 39-27 Husker lead and set the tone for what was a superb finish for Nebraska (3-0).

 

The Huskers recorded 11 steals on the night and held NorfolkState to 26.3 percent shooting. It was the second consecutive game Nebraska has recorded at least 10 steals and held the opponent under 30 percent from the field.

 

After the Spartans matched Nebraska nearly point for point while earning a 25-25 tie with just more than three minutes left in the first half, the Huskers allowed NSU to score just 23 points over the final 23:13.

 

With the defense dominating, the Huskers turned to their bench for an offensive explosion. The NU bench produced 43 points ? including 31 in the second half ? as Nebraska gained a 24-point advantage in points off the bench. Twelve different Huskers scored in all, including the first career points for Nick Krenk and Andrew Wicklund.

 

Shang Ping enjoyed the best performance of his young Husker career, hitting 5-of-7 shots for a career-high 12 points. Ping tied Ryan Anderson for game-high scoring honors, while Steve Harley scored a career-high 11 points. Chris Balham also scored a career highs with five points and seven rebounds, while adding a career-best two blocked shots. Nebraska recorded seven blocks as a team.

 

Norfolk State managed to stay in the game in the first half despite shooting just 33.3 percent from the field and committing 10 turnovers which gave Nebraska a 14-4 advantage in points off turnovers.

 

The Huskers were 12-of-26 from the floor in the first half, while NorfolkState was just 8-of-24. Despite the shooting discrepancy, the Huskers needed a 7-0 run to end the half to break the 25-all tie and head to the locker room with a 32-25 lead.

After NorfolkState scored on its first possession of the game, the Huskers rattled off five straight points while the Spartans failed to get a shot off their next three trips down the court. Despite the miscues, the Spartans hit 3-of-4 to open the game while building a 9-6 advantage five minutes in before Ade Dagunduro pulled the Huskers even with a trey.

 

Dagunduro, who combined with Aleks Maric to score the Huskers’ first 11 points, ignited a 7-0 Husker run with his 3-pointer that put NU up 13-9.

 

Nebraska extended the lead to 22-14 with six straight points midway through the period. NU connected on 6-of-7 shots from the field while beginning to pull away before the Spartans tied the game at 25-25 while holding Nebraska without a field goal for 5:59.

 

Maric put in a short jumper to end the drought and put the Huskers in front 27-25 with a little more than two minutes left in the half. His bucket ignited a 7-0 half-ending run that was fueled by five points from Jay-R Strowbridge.

 

The Huskers quickly extended the lead to double digits to open the second half on the strength of a quick 7-0 run that put NU in front 39-27. Five consecutive points from Sek Henry pushed the lead to 49-30 and the Huskers never looked back.

 

A Ping layup gave Nebraska its first 20-point lead at 53-32 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game. The Huskers continued to pull even further away, as Anderson drilled his second trey of the game to give Nebraska a 57-34 advantage and force a NorfolkState timeout.

 

NU led by as many as 36 in the second half, as the Huskers’ stout defense allowed for consecutive runs of 7-0, 5-0, 4-0 and 6-0 while Nebraska outscored the Spartans 27-9 over the first 12:34 of the second half.

 

The Huskers pushed the lead to 70-38 on a nice, driving bucket from Ping that capped a 9-0 spurt. Ping hit his first career 3-pointers one minute later to give Nebraska a 34-point lead.

 

Playing in just his third career game, Ping was one of a season-high 14 players to see action, including the career debuts of Wicklund and Cole Salomon.

 

The Huskers’ 35-point victory was not only the largest under Sadler, but also marked NU’s most lopsided victory since a 107-67 victory over North Carolina A&T on Dec. 19, 2005.

After a season-opening three-game homestand, the Huskers hit the road for the first time this year as they make the short trip to Omaha for an in-state matchup with the Creighton Bluejays on Saturday, Nov. 24, at 1 p.m.